By all accounts during the first 100 days in your new leading role are the days that count for the whole tenure of your future employment. How you approach those first 100 days can make the difference between being fired 12 months later or making your career a real success. President Obama started with a 100 day plan, so this approach has high ranking approval.
1 – Assess the situation
In bringing on a new leader a company is looking to help move the organisation forward substantially. It is important to take some time to assess where the problems are, understand the issues, and if something is broken identify solutions.
2 – Develop Relationships
This requires building relationships across all of the c-suite officers. Do this even if you have to travel in order to match their schedule. The key aspect is leaving the office and understanding other people’s priorities. To some extent this is about understanding the corporate culture, but it will allow you to build your corporate network. Remember first impressions usually last.
3 – Seek Independent Advice
Having built your own view of what needs to change it is always worth obtaining an independent assessment of your department. Internal assessments of the problems faces are often biased (even that of the CEO) and can point to wrong challenges.
4 – Identify Real Expectations
During your initial days you will have many opinions about what need to be accomplished. The expectations should largely driven by corporate goals and visions, but each department will be expecting IT to deliver something, understand their expectations and know what the priorities are.
5 – Target a Quick-Win
Identifying and executing on an early success is an important step is demonstrating that you are success oriented. This is that 2-week project Finance has been waiting over 6 months for. Make it happen. Having leveraged this early success, follow it up with more. This can be the start of Agile deployment.
6 – Build Business Community Buy-in
To succeed it is important to identify all the individuals who can directly and indirectly affect how you execute on your plan. They will each have their own agendas, it is important to identify how the new IT department will fit with those agendas.
7 – Develop your Plan
In transitioning from your first 100 days to the rest of your career with that organisation you will need to build a plan. In part this should come from the assessment, advice and relationship building. I have a picture of how ‘my ideal department’ will be structured this needs to mesh with corporate goals to build the ultimate plan.
8 – Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Tell people of your plans (as they become fixed) and communicate successes (the quick-wins). The message may differ (slightly) depending on who you tell but remember that it is as important to tell the whole corporation as it is the C-suite executives and other stakeholders.
9 – Execute on Your Plan
Early execution is important to guarantee continued executive support.
Not in you first 100 days?
Of course if you are already in the role and you have already completed your first 100 days it is possible to execute these steps, although the process is already tempered by your past record.
Further Reading:
Five fantastic strategies for your first 100 days in a new job By: Mary K. Pratt
What to Do in the First 100 Days of Your New Job By Sam Aruti
The CIO’s First 100 Days by Center for CIO Leadership
